11.06.06
Dryden Flight Research Center
P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California 93523
Phone 661/276-3449
FAX 661/276-3566
Beth Hagenauer / Ruth Dasso Marlaire
Dryden Flight Research Center / Ames Research Center
661-276-7960 / 650-604-4709
RELEASE: 06-45
NASA SUPPORTS UAS FIRE MAPPING EFFORTS ON CALIFORNIA FIRE
A team led by NASA and U.S. Forest Service scientists recently
collected real-time, visible and infrared data from sensors onboard a
remotely piloted aircraft over the Esperanza Fire in Southern
California.
The Esperanza Fire, an arson-set fire that claimed the lives of five
firefighters, was ignited on Thursday, Oct. 26. Whipped by powerful
Santa Ana winds, it spread over 40,200 acres, or roughly 62 square
miles, destroying 34 homes and 20 other structures.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the
Esperanza Fire Incident Command Center requested NASA's imaging and
fire mapping assistance. The Altair Unmanned Aircraft System, built
and operated by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego,
Calif., was prepared to fly in less than 24 hours. The flight was
facilitated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which assures the
safety of unmanned aircraft system flights in the National Airspace
System. Recent changes to the FAA's organizational structure allowed
the approval to be expedited, while ensuring no degradation of safety
and without imposing any new temporary flight restrictions.
From an altitude of 43,000 feet, the wildfire sensor collected and
sent 100 images and more than 20 data files containing the location
of the fire perimeter over a 16-hour period on Oct. 28 and 29. The
data were delivered in real time through a satellite communications
link. NASA and Forest Service specialists worked to familiarize the
fire management team with accessing capabilities and sensor data
format. The data from the NASA system were used by the Esperanza Fire
Incident Command Center to map fire behavior and direct resources to
critical areas on the fire.
The flight project was sponsored and funded by NASA's Science Mission
Directorate. The team consisted of NASA's Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, Calif.; NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards,
Calif.; The National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, Idaho.; U.S.
Forest Service Remote Sensing Laboratory, Salt Lake City, Utah;
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services; California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sacramento, Calif.; and
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
NASA also shares the grief of the fire community in the loss of the
true heroes of the Esperanza Fire, those that gave their lives in the
battles against this disaster.
PHOTO EDITORS: Publication-quality photos and infrared imagery from
the fire mapping mission is available on-line at:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/newsphotos/index.html
For more information about the U.S. Forest Service' unmanned aerial
system program, contact Rose Davis of the USFS Interagency Fire
Center at 208-387-5437 or visit:
http://nirops.fs.fed.us/UASDemo/
For more information about the Altair aircraft or General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems, contact Kimberly Kasitz at 858-455-2294 or
visit:
http://www.ga-asi.com/
For more information about NASA Earth science programs, visit:
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/earth-sun/
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